Trench mortar



F. ROG N LIE TRENCH MORTAR Filed March 19, 1923 YwakRwagmXw.

Wow/new Patented Oct. 16, 1923.

OFFICE.

ran]; ROGNLIE, or cnuncirs rnnnr, NORTH DAKOTA. I

TRENCH MORTAR.

Application filed March 19, 1923. Serial No. 626,137.

7 To all whom it may concern:

"a gun which can-be used individually, or

which-can be used in connection with other guns of similar construction, means being providedfor interlocking the barrels of adjacent guns, so that the battery thus formed will have the guns at the same inclination, thus-enabling them to fire very closely to the same location. I r

p 'A' further object of the invention is to pro vide a battery of interlocking guns of the type; described, in which the spinning or rotating effect on the gun itself, caused by the rifling'of the guns, is diminished or counteracted by providing adjacent guns with rifling, running in the reversedirection that is to say, by providing one gun, for instance, with a right hand spiral rifling, and

the gun next to it-witha left hand spiralrifling. 'This causes the battery to remain Steady while giving the full rotative effect to the'shellswhich are fired by the guns.

A further object is to provide a battery of trench mortars, in which the batteries of the mortars or guns are interlocked, as stated, but in which each individual gun has freedom to recoil independently of other uns, -thereby reducing the liability of amage .to the guns of the battery.

A further objectof my invention is to provide a battery of the guns of the type described, having means for quickly adjusting the angle of elevation, and hence the Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, 3.Ild'thB IlOV8l features of the invention will be particulaiil/y pointed out in the appended claims.

y invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gun constructed according to my invention, I

Fi ure 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

- Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a pair'of guns in locked relation,

F Igure 4 1s a rear view. of the gun, and

of Figure 2.

In carrying out my invention, I make use of a gun barrel, such as that shown at 1.

'Toward'the front of the barrel and on one side thereof is a boss 2 which is provided with a dovetail tongue 3 extending therefrom. The rear of the gun is provided with a similar boss 4 with a dovetail-shaped tongue 5. The breech block 6 is'also provided with a boss 7, having a tongue 8 of similar shape. The bosses 4 and. 7, together.

with their-tongues 5 and 8, are adapted tov be brought intoregistration by means of the engaging shoulders at9 in Figure 1,

As will .be seen from Figures 2 and5, the breech block 6 may be screwed into the breech of the barrel 1. The screw thread is so designed that the block 6 may be re moved from the barrel by a 0ne-eigl1th turn of the block.

On the opposite side of the-barrel is a boss 10 which is in alinement with the boss 2 and which is provided with a groove 11 of a shape to receive. the dovetail-shaped tongue, of an adjacent gun, corresponding to the tongue 3. A boss 12, having a similar groove 13, is provided on the side opposite from the boss 4:.

Each gun is provided with rifling, such as that shown at 14 in Figure 2, adapted to give the shell 15 a rotary movement about its axis to insure true flight.

In Figure 3, I have shown a pair of these mortars or guns mounted in battery form. It is obvious that as many units may be joined together as is. necessary or desirable. In this figure, the gun barrels A and B are mounted on base plates A and B, these base plates resting on the ground and being con- Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-43.

tiguous to each other, but not beingconnected together. The barrels of the guns A and B are connected together by inserting the tongues 3 and 4: of one gun'into the grooves 11 and '13 of the adjacent gun, and bringing the two guns into position on their base plates, so as to cause substantial registration of the bosses. Each gun is supported by rods, such as those shown at (a) and (b) respectively. Turn buckles or other means of adjustment (t) are provided so that the elevation ofthe guns may be readily effected. The guns are preferably fired by detonators of any suitable type, and are designed to be set 011' by electrical means. To this end the wires (w) are provided.

From the :toregoing description of theivarious parts or the device, the operation there of may be readily understood. The breech block 6 is removed fromi'h'e gun by turning the block one-eighth of a turn. theshelll5 is inserted, and the block is then turned until the shoulders 9 engage oneanother, there by bringing the tongues 5 and 8 in o 1egistration. The two guns are ,then secured together in the manner described. and this locks the breech block through the engagement of the tongues 5 and '8 with the slot '13.

proper angle, and then a further adjustment may be effected by means of the XtBIlSlOII members from the turn buckles 2 The battery thus formed maybe fired by an electrical circuit through the wire (10*).

Therifling of the adjacent barrels in oppo site directions tends to reduce the rotative effect of the gun, while permitting the full rotative effect to be imparted to the shell. Should one of the guns have a greater recoil than the other, this would be permitted through the sliding engagement of the locking means, without damage to the guns.

Vhile I have shown a battery of two' units, it is obvious that as many'units may be used as desired, and that the guns will be kept in' alinement.

I claim:

1. A trench mortar comprising abarrel, a removable breech block, and. means carried by'the breech block for connection with an adjacent gun.

2. A trench mortar comprising a barrel having a boss, a removable breech block having a boss, the boss in the barrel and in' the breech block each having a groove arranged to register sition.

3. A trench mortar comprising a barrel having laterally extending connecting means, a'reniovable breech block, means carried by the barrel for connection with an adjacent gun barrel, and means carried by the breech block for connection with an adjacent gun.

a. A. battery comprising a plurality of trench mortars, each mortar having a barrel, means carried by the barrel for interlocking with the adj acent barrel, a removable breechblock and means carried by the breech block for interlocking with an adjacent gun.

5. A battery comprising a plurality of trench mortars, each mortar having a barrel, means carried by the barrel for interlocking with the adjacent barrel, a removable breech block and means carried by the breech block for interlocking with an adjacent gun, said interlocking means also locking the breech block to its individual gun. a

r; iattery comprising a. plurality of trench mortars, means for-interlocking the barrels of said mortars to prevent lateral movement and to permit individuallongie 'tudinal movement of each barrel. a e

7. A battery comprising a plurality of tr nch mortars, the barrels of adjacent mortarshaving interlocking means for preventing lateral movement, while permittinglongitudinal movement, and a removable breech block carried by each mortar, said breech block the barrels of adjacent mortars.

8. A battery comprising "a plurality of trench mortars, the barrels of said mortars being disposed in parallel relationgmeans FRED RoGNL'IE.

with the companion V groove, when the breech block is in firing pobeing locked by the interlocking of; 

